Well I was out shooting my flintlock today and notice why I'm not anywhere near on target even at 15 - 20 yards: I flinch either the instant the hammer hits the frizzen or the flashpan goes. Bothers me to no end that I'm afraid of that...
Anyway, I tried the hold thing with replacing the flint with a stick for some dry firing--didn't work. I thought of something that did work, though. Without loading, I only primed the flashpan then sited the target and pulled the trigger. I had to do this about a half dozen times before I could stay on target. The I loaded, sited the target and fired. That put me in what would be the vital region--within a couple inches of bullseye. I'm nowhere near ready to take 50 or 100 yard shots with it, but on paper with that thing is a big step in the right direction.
How prevalent is this problem among newbies? Anyone else tried this?